THE SHUTDOWN? – AT 1:44 P.M. ET:  Will there be a government shutdown tonight?  The short answer is no because critical parts of the federal government are actually funded into next year.  So, if there's a shutdown, it will only affect certain agencies.  The country will not go to hell in a handbasket.

But the drama is high.  The gulf between Republicans and Democrats appears unbreachable.  From dailywire:   

President Trump on Friday said he's prepared for a government shutdown over the contentious battle to fund his oft-promised wall on the U.S.-Mexico border -- and put the blame squarely on Democrats.

"The Democrats now own the shutdown!" Trump wrote on Twitter Friday morning.

Trump's declaration comes after the House added $5.7 billion for construction of the southern border wall. The Senate is set to take up the proposal at noon today.

Trump had more -- much more -- to say about the wall and the coming Senate vote.

"Shutdown today if Democrats do not vote for Border Security!" he warned.

"Senator Mitch McConnell should fight for the Wall and Border Security as hard as he fought for anything. He will need Democrat votes, but as shown in the House, good things happen. If enough Dems don’t vote, it will be a Democrat Shutdown! House Republicans were great yesterday!" Trump wrote.

The president said McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, should employ the "nuclear option," a move that makes it so only a majority vote of 51 supporters is necessary.

"Mitch, use the Nuclear Option and get it done! Our Country is counting on you!"

COMMENT:  Presumably there are talks going on, but we really have nothing solid.  We may well have the partial shutdown tonight.

The president is holding firm on his demand for funding for the border wall.  A Senate vote is formally underway on a proposal that would avoid a shutdown tonight, but the vote is stalled pending the return of some senators to Washington.  

Most reporters are saying the odds favor a shutdown.

December 21, 2018